Pioneers in internet, mining, finance and fostering

Other First Women nominees include:

Susan Pryce, Emergent Asset Management:among the first women chiefs of a European hedge fund.

Vicky Pryce, DTI: the first female chief economist at the DTI and now the first non-Treasury deputy head of the government economic service.

Sally Schofield, Latin American Copper: works in the world of mine exploration.

Francesca Brosan, Omobono: owner and chairman of her own advertising business.

Fru Hazlitt, Yahoo UK: has turned the UK arm into the most successful division outside the US. Now off to break new ground at radio group SMG.

Judith Hackitt, Chemical Industries Association: the first female plant supervisor at Exxon.

Dame Pauline Neville-Jones, Qinetiq: extraordinary life of boundary-breaking in the diplomatic service.

Jan Rees, Foster Care Associates: a first-time entrepreneur in her fifties, she set up her fostering agency in 1994. Today it is the UK's leading independent agency in its field.

Tamara Hill-Norton, Sweaty Betty: creator of the UK's first sportswear brand for women.